INSPECS Limited Eyes Centric PLM to Achieve Their Vision

Global leader in eyewear solutions partners with Centric Software^® to reclaim design time, empower sales teams and support sustainability

CAMPBELL, Calif., December 14, 2021 – INSPECS Limited, a leading designer, marketer, manufacturer and distributor of brand and OEM eyewear has selected Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Founded in 1988, INSPECS experienced rapid growth through acquisition and is one of the largest eyewear companies in the world. They own their supply chain from sourcing to distribution, distribute in more than 80 countries, have four manufacturing sites and 30,000 global points of sale.  INSPECS cycles two seasons per year and produces over 500 new SKUs for licences, brands and private label brands each year. Their goal is to be the go-to platform for eyewear solutions.

Eyewear is classified as a medical device and is subject to rigorous compliance standards, which along with a complicated manufacturing process, slows time to market. The average time to market can be nine months and operating during COVID has put additional pressure on timelines.

When Adam Loewy, Creative Director at INSPECS joined the team, he saw an enormous opportunity to streamline processes, speed time to market and drive the company’s success.

“When I joined INSPECS, I had this question mark,” says Loewy. “We had the ability and a fantastic team. But we didn’t design as many collections, and for as many brands as I thought we could.”

Loewy could see that teams were losing valuable time with multiple layers of processes, by relying on outdated tools like Excel, and searching for information stored in disparate locations. Thus, he began his search for a solution to drive efficiencies, streamline operations and centralize information.

“We were very keen to work with a partner who had experience, had delivered for multiple brands, and was on a scale that would ensure they’d be around for the long term,” shares Loewy.

In their search for a PLM solution, Loewy and his team evaluated several PLM vendors, and Centric Software stood out for several reasons. Outstanding customer references, Centric’s work with INSPECS brands, and a clear roadmap of the development process and ROI gave INSPECS the confidence to select Centric Software as their PLM partner.

User experience was also a deciding factor. “When you’ve got to try to persuade teams to move from a system they are familiar with, like Excel, that new system has to have a better interface and be a much more positive experience,” Loewy explains. “That was massively clear the first time we looked at Centric.”

Designers are expected to reclaim nearly 20% of their time to vision-critical functions with PLM. Currently the ratio of time spent on design to development is 20% and 80% respectively. According to Loewy, to be a leader in their market, they must spend significantly more time on design, and PLM will enable that.

The marketing team will save time by using Centric’s single version of the truth to develop detailed product line lists that support the sales teams. “It’s really about creating a digital catalogue because we’ll have that information in one location,” says Loewy. “It’s the database that is the really powerful tool for us.”

PLM will also bolster their sustainability efforts by empowering teams to share factories, deliveries, material developments and sample creation. From an employee perspective, reducing time wasted on redundant tasks will support a sustainable and balanced corporate culture.

Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software says, “We are thrilled that INSPECS has chosen Centric as a partner in their digital transformation journey. Their company is growing rapidly and we are proud to be a part of an industry that is providing such a critical medical device.”

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INSPECS (www.inspecs.com)

INSPECS is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of brand and OEM eyewear to global retail chains. With owned factories in Vietnam, China, Italy and London, they offer the complete eyewear design-manufacture-distribution solution. Their in-house award-winning creative design studios in Bath UK, Lisbon and Hong Kong offer specialist eyewear design and innovation, 3D design, graphics, photography and marketing services.

INSPECS partners with brands under license across the globe to bring the eyewear category to life. They also proudly own the prestigious British-made Savile Row eyewear brand, crafted by hand from luxurious materials at our British and Italian factories. INSPECS sales offices are based in Bath, Lisbon, Scandinavia, Florida and HK.

Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software® provides a Product Concept to Replenishment Digital Transformation Platform for fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer electronics and consumer goods including cosmetics and personal care and food and beverage. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric PLM^TM, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (CVIP) offers highly visual digital board experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Retail Planning is an innovative, cloud-native solution powered by Armonica Retail S.R.L., that delivers an end-to-end retail planning process designed to maximize retail business performance. Centric Software pioneered mobility, introducing the first mobile apps for PLM, and is widely known for connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com, planning and more as well as creative tools such as Adobe® Illustrator and a host of 3D CAD connectors. Centric’s innovations are 100% market-driven with the highest user adoption rate and fastest time to value in the industry. All Centric innovations shorten time to market, boost product innovation and reduce costs.

Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021.

Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software Inc. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.